The Healthy and Active Child

Overview

The unit develops knowledge and understanding of a range of health related areas that impact on the lives of children and their families. Pre-service teachers will learn about specific childhood illnesses and conditions, the importance of overall health and nutrition and how to offer a variety of opportunities for young children to engage in a range of physically active play opportunities and learning experiences that foster health and wellbeing.

Unit learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

1. Describe children's development and health-related conditions, and their implications for teaching and learning
2. Evaluate strategies for children to learn about nutrition, hygiene, and safety
3. Develop learning plans for physically active play
4. Identify a range of contemporary health issues that affect children, including child protection, wellbeing and resilience

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Assessment

Content

• Common childhood illnesses – symptoms and treatment
• Children’s growth
• Stress and the impacts of cortisol on children’s growth and development
• Brain development and the neurosciences
• Childhood nutrition, first aid, hygiene, safety
• Health related policies, procedures and legal requirements
• The role of physically active play for health and wellbeing
• Challenging and creative educational environments
• Risk aversion and benefit assessment
• Outside play environments and risk
• Physical education and teaching children about health, safety and nutrition
• Contemporary health issues
• Natural play spaces, connections with nature and links to health
• Sharing information about children's health with children, families and communities
• Mandatory reporting
• Family violence